A city court here has rejected arrested Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji's plea for rejection of remand. The court dismissed the petition as infructuous since Balaji, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), had already been sent to judicial custody earlier.
Balaji, TN Electricity and Prohibition and Excise minister, was arrested on Wednesday by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a cash for jobs scam against him when he was the Transport minister in the earlier AIADMK cabinet led by the late J Jayalalithaa.
Stalin attacks ED
Once again training his guns against the ruling BJP over the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action against his cabinet colleague V Senthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday alleged the saffron party's leadership was engaged in "anti-people" politics and "wants to do its politics through the ED."
In a video posted on his official Twitter handle, Stalin also slammed the ED for its handling of Electricity and Prohibition and Excise minister Balaji, which it had arrested, alleging the DMK leader was subject to "mental pressure," and subsequently suffered a health issue.
"You all are aware of the unfair troubles being given to Senthil Balaji by the ED. None has any doubt that it is brazen political vendetta. Taking up a case that is 10 years old, he was confined and subjected to mental pressure. He was mentally and physically weakened and even suffered a life-threatening heart disease because of the ED. Can there be any more brazen political vendetta," Stalin asked.
The CM said it is not wrong if Balaji was enquired based on some complaint or related court order but that he was no ordinary person who could abscond.
He is an elected MLA and a five-time legislator and is a minister for the second time. He attends a lot of public events, Stalin said.
"What is the need to enquire such person by confining him like a terrorist. When the ED officials came, he gave full cooperation and said he was ready to give whatever explanation sought by them. Despite this, he was confined for 18 hours, was not allowed to meet anyone. When his health got worse only then did they take him to hospital. If they had been ignorant then, it would have been a grave danger for his life," the CM added.
"What is the emergency for such an enquiry. Is there an undeclared emergency in the country. Looks so going by the ED's activity. To put it simply, the BJP leadership wants to do its politics through the ED; its is not ready to do politics by meeting people. They are also not ready to trust BJP. People will believe it only if it does politics for them. BJP's politics is anti-people," he said attacking the saffron party.
Balaji was arrested on Wednesday by the ED in connection with a cash for jobs scam when he was Transport minister in the late Jayalalithaa-led cabinet. He has since been hospitalised after he complained of chest pain.
